I've been working and playing in virtual worlds / virtual reality for a number of years. For a long time, virtual adventurers like me have fantasized about a future where everyone had access to "VR goggles" where you could escape into a simulated space from anywhere. These kinds of VR rigs were sorta cool, but …
As part of my duties as head of Digital Learning at the Cal Academy, I have been leading up a series of internal meetings on digital badges for learning. It's been a really great experience and I've definitely learned a lot. Many of my colleagues have been really curious and excited about the potential for …
Yesterday my Youth Programs team from the Cal Academy took a well-deserved mini-retreat up to Tomales, Bay, about an hour and a half north of San Francisco. Yes, it was cold and rainy almost the entire time. My feet got wet almost immediately during our hike, which I HATE. And yet I had an …
This past weekend, one of my teammates and I led a youth workshop called "Programmable Puppets" for 15 Bay Area teens at the California Academy of Sciences. The purpose of this workshop was to expose teens to a couple of fun digital technologies and have them explore their interests in animal behavior through the process …
I love all of my awesome colleagues in the Teacher and Youth Education department of the California Academy of Sciences. Such a smart, dedicated and fun bunch of people. Here we are being silly for our special holiday departmental meeting. And the less exciting "regular" picture.
Working at a science museum, I'm in a space that is constantly changing. Exhibits are being phased out and in, new planetarium shows are being launched, living and dead specimens are being integrated into our collections and exhibits. It's part of what makes it exciting to work here. Yesterday was the last day of our …
Last Saturday, youth participants at the Science Game Design Workshop completed and shared out their game prototypes: “Oil Spill!” and “Trash Island.” The youth had a great time iterating on their game designs, testing them out with other teens, and presenting their (nearly) finished products to aquarium biologist Pam and game designers Chris and Jeff from …
Shooting is fun! Our TechTeens have been learning how to use professional DSLR cameras as part of their experiences at the Cal Academy this month. Our goal was for them to feel comfortable using higher-end cameras both for projects they are working on at the Academy and any future photography they may want to do …
"Interstellar," the new scifi film directed by Christopher Nolan, explores a number of complex and fascinating scientific phenomena and concepts, including black holes, gravity, wormholes, a fifth dimension, and in particular Special Relativity. As a scifi buff, I found the movie to be very entertaining. And as a science educator, I thought that there …
The California Academy of Sciences is proud to a member of the founding committee of Hive Bay Area, a network of San Francisco Bay Area organizations working together to create an "ecosystem of opportunities" for local youth to explore their interests and learn 21st century skills. We work with awesome partners including the San Francisco Public …